Home/Journal/Store / Fishing Lures / All Lure Types / Frog Baits / Lures Factory /

Lures Factory - Jumbo Frog - Factory Visit



Updated on: 9 Apr 2015 - By Andrew



Share

In April of this year, we participated in the Thai Tackle Show in Bangkok to exhibit our CTS and Keitech brands that our holding company represents as regional distributors. 

During the slower moments of the day, we would get the opportunity to walk around and mingle with other trade participants to introduce ourselves, gawk at their product offering on display and in general, to exchange contact details for prospective future business collaborations, should such opportunities arise. 

One booth in particular (with an innocuously sounding name of Lures Factory), caught my eye in respect of the "simplicity" of their display, but even more so, were the level of creativity and craftsmanship that clearly manifested themselves from the product offering being shown (see images below). 

In my unlearned opinion, the Lures Factory products stood almost head and shoulders above all the other domestic offerings that we had seen, bar a few that had also garnered my attention.

Regardless of language barriers, a conversation was plucked up between the owner of Lures Factory (Pi' On) and myself, using whatever limited vocabulary that each could muster up in the other's native tongue. I learnt that each lure was hand crafted in the likeness of an actual species of frog/toad and each were made locally at Pi' On's factory on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Oddly enough, I don't recall contact details being exchanged and the only thing I remember leaving the Lures Factory booth with, were the first two images below, some frog lures that my kid brother, Terry had purchased for me to test, and a nice feeling that I quite liked the gentleman to whom I had spoken.

What greeted us at Pi' On's booth during the Thai Tackle Show.... 






Months past after the show as Terry and I followed up on leads that we had generated from the show with regards to our own brands. However, at the back of my mind were these exquisite frogs that I had yet to test, though I was starting to hear positive feedback, not only from Terry, but also from some of our local customers who had used the Lures Factory products on local snake heads in Malaysia.

Subsequent conversations with Pi' On ensued culminating in a decision being made with Terry, to take on the Lures Factory brand locally with Pi' On's blessings. This required a trip back to Bangkok in August to meet Pi' On face-to-face, which would give us the opportunity to know each other better and to discuss any other expectations that either might have in respect of this arrangement whilst allowing me to collect my first batch of Alangka Jumbo Frogs and Agon Lotus Frogs from his factory.

Over the course of the week that I was there, I had the privilege of getting to know Pi' On and his family in person and being given full access to his factory of amazing craftswomen and men. 

To top it off, I was also taken about 300km from Bangkok by Pi' On and his mate, Pi Woo, with Terry, to fish for giant snake heads in the wild, whilst being given first hand knowledge from the creator of the Alangka Jumbo Frog and Agon Lotus Frog, how to best use these lures on these local species of fish. More of this later in subsequent postings on this topic.

However, with that said, what I came away with and deem more important above all else, was the feeling of being deeply blessed by the generosity of Pi' On and his family, particularly in terms of how they went out of their way to making me feel special (see the last image below) whilst I was in their company. 

Also, not least to be trivialized, was the warm hospitality that I experienced from his factory's craftswomen and men in terms of being made to feel as if I was one of them..... something much to be reflected upon.

For now, here are some images (still and motion) that were taken of the manufacturing process for the Lures Factory Alangka Jumbo Frog, whilst I was at the factory.

At the factory.....





***Note to reader re box full of Ponstan looking pills (lying about on the work bench in the image immediately below) - you'll be forgiven for thinking that the Lures Factory craftswoman either had a whacking great migraine that required subduing, or worse still, a questionable habit worthy of the Betty Ford clinic. 

However, perish those thoughts, as those "pills" are a genuine mark of creative genius of the Lure Factory. Those pastel blue and white pill capsules, contain, not a controlled substance, but two ball bearings, that form the rattler for the Alangka Jumbo Frog.







Next is my turn to having a stab at making my own Alangka Jumbo Frog blank...